Boiling point (Tb)

•It is used to determine volatility and to estimate characterization

parameters such as average boiling point, molecular weight,
composition, and many physical properties (i.e., critical constants,
vapor pressure, thermal properties, and transport properties).
 Molecular weight (M.wt)

•The molecular weight of an oil is directly related to its heaviness,

and therefore the size of the molecules it comprises, as reflected in the
fact that the lighter or lower-molecular weight fractions come off
earlier (at lower temperatures) in the distillation process than those that
are heavier and of higher molecular weight.
 Refractive index (RI)

•At some reference conditions (i.e., 20°C and 1 atm), refractive index is
another useful characterization parameter to estimate the composition
and quality of petroleum fractions. It is also used to estimate other
physical properties such as molecular weight, the critical constants, or
transport properties of hydrocarbon systems. Refractive index or
refractivity is the ratio of velocity of light in a vacuum to the velocity of
light in the substance (fluid) and is a dimensionless quantity.
 Freezing and Melting points
• For a pure compound the freezing point is the temperature at
which liquid solidifies at 1 atm pressure. Similarly the melting
point is the temperature that a solid substance liquefies at 1
atm.

• A pure substance has the same freezing and melting points;

however, for petroleum mixtures, there are ranges of melting
and freezing points versus percent of the mixture melted or
frozen. for petroleum mixtures the initial freezing point is
greater than the initial melting point.
 Pour Point
• Pour point, defined as the temperature at which the oil ceases to flow. The
pour point is obviously related to pumping problems, which are avoided by
heating up the mixture. Pour point have limited uses in wax and paraffinic
heavy oils to determine the degree of solidification and the wax content as
well as minimum temperature require to ensure fluidity of the oil

• Pour point represents the lowest temperature at which an oil can be stored
and still capable of flowing under gravity. When temperature is less than
pour point of a petroleum product it cannot be stored or transferred through
a pipeline.

• Test procedures for measuring pour points of petroleum fractions are given
under ASTM D 97 and ASTM D 5985 methods.
 Cloud Point
• Cloud point is the lowest temperature at which wax crystals
begin to form by a gradual cooling under standard conditions.
At this temperature the oil becomes cloudy and the first
particles of wax crystals are observed. The standard procedure
to measure the cloud point is ASTM D Low cloud point
products are desirable under low-temperature conditions.
• Wax crystals can plug the fuel system lines and filters, which
could lead to stalling aircraft and diesel engines under cold
conditions. Cloud points are measured for oils that contain
paraffins in the form of wax and therefore for light fractions
(naphtha or gasoline) no cloud point data are reported.
 Aniline Point

•This point is defined as the lowest temperature at which aniline is

soluble in a specified amount of sample. It is used to determine the
solvency of the hydrocarbons, typically paraffinic hydrocarbons have
higher aniline points than aromatic hydrocarbons. This method is
usually performed under the guidelines of ASTM D 611. Aniline point
can be used to determine the quality of ignition in diesel cuts.
• Aniline point for a hydrocarbon or a petroleum fraction is defined as the
minimum temperature at which equal volumes of liquid hydrocarbon
and aniline are miscible.
• The aniline point is important in characterization of petroleum fractions
and analysis of molecular type.
• The aniline point is also used as a characterization parameter for the
ignition quality of diesel fuels. It is measured by the ASTM D 611 test
method.
• Aromatics have very low aniline points in comparison with paraffins,
since aniline itself is an aromatic compound (C6H5-NH2) and it has
better miscibility with aromatic hydrocarbons.
 Fire Point & Autoignition
• Flash point should not be mistaken with fire point, which is
defined as the minimum temperature at which the hydrocarbon
will continue to burn for at least 5 s after being ignited by a flame.
• Autoignition temperature is the minimum temperature at which
hydrocarbon vapor when mixed with air can spontaneously ignite
without the presence of any external source.
• Values of autoignition temperature are generally higher than flash
point. This is particularly important from a safety point of view
when hydrocarbons are compressed. Standard test is ASTM D
2155.
 Flammability Range
• To have a combustion, three elements are required: fuel
(hydrocarbon vapor), oxygen (i.e., air), and a spark to initiate
the combustion. One important parameter to have a good
combustion is the ratio of air to hydrocarbon fuel. The
combustion does not occur if there is too much air (little fuel)
or too little air (too much fuel).
• This suggests that combustion occurs when hydrocarbon
concentration in the air is within a certain range. This range is
called flammability range and is usually expressed in terms of
lower and upper volume percent in the mixture of hydrocarbon
vapor and air.